For many of us, “The X-Files” phenomenon represented the peak of our childhood and adolescence, as we were patiently waiting for a new episode to come out every week so we could see our favorite characters fighting the supernatural once more. However, apart from the famous Mulder and Scully, there was one other intriguing character that was part of this 90s show.

Mitch Pileggi played the role of Walter Skinner in the famous TV show and was credited for 91 episodes from 1994 until 2018. So, if you want to learn more about him, here is some useful information.

Early life

Born in 1952, he was one of the many children of Vito Pileggi and wife Maxine Anna. Because his father was a defense contractor, Mitch spent most of his early life stages moving from one place to another. He was born in Portland, Oregon, but soon moved to California, and then Texas. He spent his teenage years in a high school in Turkey where he moved with his family.

He was always an athletic figure and used to do wrestling and play football back in high school. After high school, Pileggi decided to move back to the United States and enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin.

Acting career

Mitch Pileggi has been attracted to acting ever since high school when he used to perform musical plays in Turkey. After returning to the United States and while he was pursuing his degree in business at the university, the actor continued his career, starring in B-rated movies. He was also cast as a guest star in popular TV shows such as Walker, Texas Ranger, and Dallas.

During the 1990s, before joining the cast of The X-Files, Pileggi appeared briefly in the Hollywood blockbuster Basic Instinct, in 1992, and in Vampire in Brooklyn, in 1995, starring Eddie Murphy.

However, his best-known role remains as the FBI’s Assistant Director Walter Skinner in the popular sci-fi TV show, The X Files. Pileggi’s role wasn’t originally recurring but he managed to become a regular member of the cast at the beginning of the 2000s. The show’s success determined the directors to make two additional movies, The X-Files film in 1998 and, a decade later, The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008). Both movies were successful so the show continued with a mini-series launched in 2016, starring the same actors, including Pileggi.

Other Roles

Apart from the show that turned him into a star, the actor also appeared in numerous other successful movies and TV shows, including Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Dallas (2012-2014), Grey’s Anatomy (2007-2012), Supernatural (2008-2011), Castle (2010), Criminal Minds (2008), and others.